Oak Ridge has been justifiably proud of its education tradition for many years. Like every other school system we are facing difficult challenges to funding and operation. We have a greater percentage of children needing more and different attention as our demographics change. We have aging buildings. We have new immutable, sometimes illogical, and often unfunded mandates from the state and federal governments.

Inflation continues and our taxes don't go as far as they did a decade ago. The schools and the city government face the same economic realities that the citizens do. We are also still in the embarassing place of paying teachers less that engineers or mechanics, no matter what we say our priorities are. Many people seem to disregard the basic premise that the education of everyone's children creates better "trickle down" wealth than any other government program.

Still, we could be looking for creative solutions to some of our needs. Preschool and elementary years are the prime ages for learning additional languages. Those language skills translate into better grasp of English and of other studies. If we can't afford a shared language teacher, what about visiting volunteers who bring games and songs to class once or twice a month. We have many people here who speak Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and more.

I would much prefer that all licensed drivers have had formal training. I have been told, however, that driver training has cost extra at ORHS for some time and was discontinued as a program because of low enrollment. Perhaps this is a state issue. Perhaps we should petition our legislators to direct that one can only get a license before 18 if they have had certified driver training.

I am a bit annoyed by the implication of The Observer question to the council candidates. The way it is worded puts emphasis on attracting new residents and businesses. It seems to me we should focus on what produces the best learning experience for the people who are already here. We should work on additional ways to be flexible enough to adapt to changing populations of students.